A pair of hooded orioles have been busy gathering insects and fruit in Nancy Larson’s back yard in San Clemente. Their flying off in the same direction with full beaks is a good indication that they’re nesting nearby, she says.

Larson attracts these flashy birds to her yard with a nectar and fruit feeder.

“They especially like concord grape jelly,” she says. “I’ve tried strawberry and blueberry, but they don’t seem to like it as much.”

A pair nested in her palm tree last year and brought their young to the feeder. Larson is hoping to see babies again this year.

“But they’re very elusive and timid,” she says. “If they see us on the patio they take off.”

Hooded and Bullock’s orioles are the two most common species of orioles that breed in Southern California. Both are medium-size songbirds, about 8-inches long with slender bodies, long tail and a long, slightly curved beak. They belong to the same family as blackbirds, grackles and cowbirds.

Orioles are coveted among backyard birders mostly because of their bright colors. Adult males tend to be bright yellow or orange over most of their body with black wings and white wingbars. Females are less colorful with mostly dull yellow bodies and gray wings. Male hooded orioles have a distinctive black face and throat with a hood of orange or yellow-orange while the Bullock’s species can be differentiated by a black cap and eyeline.

The Bullock’s oriole was formerly considered the same species as the Baltimore oriole, which is found on the East Coast. And some interbreeding between the two species has occurred in the Great Plains.

Hooded orioles are often spotted along the California coast because fan palms are a favorite nesting site.

As true for all oriole species, the female alone builds the nest and incubates the eggs. The hooded oriole creates an elaborate hanging basket-style nest woven from palm leaf fibers.She also uses these fibers to sew the nest to the palm leaves for stability.

In both species, males stay close to protect its territory. After hatching, both parents share in feeding the young.

Bullock’s orioles prefer to breed in wooded areas, such as Laguna Niguel Regional Park, Casper’s Wilderness Park and Starr Ranch, which were among the hotspots noted recently on Cornell University’s eBird site.The female Bullock’s oriole also makes a hanging nest, but uses neatly woven hair, twine, plant fibers or grasses. They often choose isolated trees at the edges of woodlands near water.

Orioles breed in California during the spring and summer, then return to their winter grounds in Mexico, and Central and South America in the fall. Bullock’s orioles start leaving in July, while the hooded species generally stay with us until early September.

Attract orioles to your yard by planting native trees or shrubs with fruit and berries and flowering plants that attract caterpillars, a favorite food.

And to encourage nesting avoid trimming dead palm fronds until fall or winter.

Contact the writer: Jennifer J. Meyer is a freelance writer from Mission Viejo. Write to her at jjthebackyardbirder@gmail.com or visit her blog at jjthebackyardbirder.blogspot.com.